Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (E0-11)
by GVJ
Summary: This is the eleventh of 13 TV serial teleplays that re-imagines The Phantom Menace as a TV serial. The reader will note some spelling changes to some of the names (notably Quigon has been re-imagined as a more Chinese style name - Quigong and Jedi has been made more phonetic as Jeddai). There are a number of other changes to the setting.


TITLE CARD: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title, followed by a roll up, which crawls up into infinity.

 **SERIES 0 THE PHANTOM MENACE**

The rolling hills outside Naboo's capitol city of Theed are gripped with violence as a relatively small force of raiders faces off with against the assembled might of the Grand Gungun Army.

While beneath the city's streets Princess Amidala's team has split into three splinters with the Princess and her Royal Guards infiltrating the palace even has Ric Olié and his pilots race to city's spaceport in search of ships with which to support their Gungun allies outside the city.

Quigong Jin, Obiwan Kenobi, and Jarjar Binks have pursued the dueling Sith Lords, Darth Maul and Darth Plagueis into the web of maintenance corridors and shafts surrounding the city's massive fusion power plant.

Far above them in orbit, Jeddai Master Mace Windu leads his commando through the halls of the raiders' command ship on a mission to deprive the Mandalorians of their senior leadership…

 **EPISODE 0.11 – Contra-Motions**

INT. ESTABLISHING – BRIGHTLY LIT CORRIDOR ON THE DREADNOUGHT _BLACK RAPTURE_

Mace Windu stands at one corner of an intersection between two corridors peering around its edge at something out-of-frame.

CUT TO the end of the corridor where we see bank of tube-like elevators. Several armored sentries stand guard before the doors.

CUT BACK TO Mace as he turns to the Jeddai behind him.

MACE: (speaking softly while unclasping his lightsaber from his belt) There are two sentries by the elevators but, I sense that we're entering a more populated part of the ship. Get ready to fight.

The other Jeddai Knights and Padawan ready their own weapons.

MACE: (continuing with soft voice) Our goal is the dreadnought's bridge. Once we cut the head from this snake, the body should start to atrophy.

(looking at each member of his team) Everyone ready?

They collectively nod their heads.

MACE: Follow me.

The Jeddai Master steps around the corner, his lightsaber igniting with a vibrant lavender-like shade of purple.

ANGLE ON the Mandalorian sentries as seen from Mace's perspective. The two sentries are surprised by the Jeddai's appearance. At first they are slow to react, as though they don't entirely trust their senses and then, one of them folds up and drops to the ground as Mace's hurled lightsaber cuts through him.

Reacting instinctively, the second guard pulls his blaster and fires off two shots which the commando members effortlessly deflect back into him.

ANGLE ON the Jeddai as they quickly make their way to the elevator bank. Unfortunately it becomes evident that the damage has already been done and that the ship has been alerted to their presence as a loud klaxon begins ringing. The Jeddai and Padawan at the rear of the group turn as red laser bolts begin to appear from the corridor behind them.

Next to Mace one of the elevators finally arrives; it doors pop open with a hiss that is almost drowned out by the whine of blaster fire and the gonging-sound of the alarms. Deflecting dozens of the red laser bolts, the Jeddai and their Padawans quickly pile into the cramped compartment.

ANGLE ON the corridor they have come from as seen from Mace's perspective. Armored shapes can be seen racing down the corridor at them, wildly firing their blasters as they run. One last laser bolt zips through the doors as they snap shut. It strikes one of the Padawans, a female Iktochi, who has lowered her defenses too soon.

The teenager crumples to the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

JUTTA: (gasping) Praileem.

Mace looks on as Jutta's master, Denwan, grabs ahold of his Padawan's shoulder and forces the young Zabrak to look at him.

DENWAN: Control your feelings my young Padawan. Remember, the Force flows when we are calm, focused. Anger, fear, hate, these are the tools of the Dark Side. Don't let them cloud your judgement. Now breathe. Be calm. Focused. Controlled.

The young Zabrak takes a deep breath. And then another and visibly regains his composure.

DENWAN: Good.

(reassuringly pats Jutta's shoulder) We will mourn our losses when this conflict has ended.

JUTTA: Yes master.

ANDACE A'NND'AL, a Rodian Jeddai Knight, suddenly looks at the door.

ANDACE: (as the humming of the elevator car noticeably diminishes) Looks like they've isolated our lift.

MACE: Can we get off on the next level?

The Rodian Jeddai presses some buttons on the elevator car's panel but nothing seems to happen.

ANDACE: (shaking his head) They've locked these controls out.

MACE: (igniting his lightsaber in the cramped space) Let's take matters into our own hands.

The other Jeddai and remaining Padawans ignite their own weapons and as one they plunge the laser blades deep into the elevator car's walls. A horrendous screeching sound erupts as the car violently bucks back and forth. The lights flicker and then go out entirely, leaving the lightsabers, many plunged into the walls nearly up to their hilts, as the only source of light. Not long after the elevator car jerks to a halt. The Jeddai extract their weapons and deactivate them.

MACE: (stepping squarely in front of the door) Let's see where we are.

The Jeddai Master reignites his purple-bladed weapon and slices into the elevator car's door.

CUT TO the _Black Rapture_ 's bridge where we see Jojo Fett and the dreadnought's captain standing on either side of one of the seated bridge officers.

BRIDGE OFFICER: It looks like the intruders were able to stop the lift two levels below where the fire team is.

CAPTAIN: Dispatch the fire team to the deck they exited on.

JOJO: No. Belay that order.

The Mandalorians turn to look at their commander, their faces inscrutable through their helmets.

JOJO: Deploy multiple fire teams between here and their position.

(explaining to her officers) It's obvious that the command deck is their goal.

Captain, take the bridge crew and move control of the ship to the auxiliary control room.

CAPTAIN: Yes my Lord.

The Captain turns to the other officers and begins repeating Jojo's commands.

JOJO: (to the Bridge Officer) I want three additional fire teams up here. We'll trap the Jeddai here and kill them. I'll lead the fire teams myself.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. CORRIDOR OF MANDALORIAN CRUISER

Jeddai Knight Sidon Ithano boldly stands midway down a corridor facing an increasingly large group of raiders. His four lightsabers blur as they deflect incoming blaster fire from the approaching Mandalorians. Behind him a squad of marines waits for him by a thick pressure door, carefully returning fire beneath and around the paths of the Jeddai's whirling blades.

The Mandalorians stop midway from the intersection and focus their fire on the Jeddai. As Sidon parries the vast majority of the laser bolts a group of maroon and tan garbed engineers appear at the intersection behind him and quickly escape through the open hatch.

MARINE SERGEANT: General Ithano!

Sidon spares the man a look and suffers a glancing blow to one of his arms. The off-white fabric of his tunic (his brown Jeddai robes are long gone by this point) briefly catches fire before becoming a smoldering black spot. Grimacing, he somehow maintains the tempo of his parries.

SERGEANT: That was the last of the repair crews!

With a silent nod, Sidon returns his full attention to the raiders in front of him and begins steadily retreating down the corridor one step at a time. The marine squad intensifies their fire to cover the Jeddai Knight's retreat as best as they can with him forming a barrier between them and the

SIDON: (to the marines behind him) Pile through! I'm right behind you.

The seven marines quickly run through the hatch, their leading pausing by the door controls just inside of it. Trailing them only by a few moments, Sidon steps backwards through the hatch as though he can see it even though his attention is still focused on the rain of blaster fire coming from the Mandalorians just ahead of him.

The Jeddai turns to the side and deactivates his four lightsabers all at once as the Sergeant triggers the hatch control and it slams shut.

SERGEANT: (muttering) That should hold them for a while.

As the airlock's airscrubbers and vents clear the chamber of smoke we see that Sidon has a stooped, all-but exhausted posture.

SERGEANT: General Ithano, are you okay sir?

The Jeddai Knight breaths closes his eyes, breathes in a deep breath, and stands more erect. After several more deep breaths Sidon opens his eyes again and tears a strip of tan cloth from his outer tunic with two of his arms.

SIDON: (binding his injured arm to his chest) Don't worry Sergeant Krekki, they might have injured my arm but as you said, it'll take them some time to clear this door. And by then we'll have set the charges and cut the _Paladin_ free from our new ship.

The Jeddai and marines quickly set explosive charges on the interior of the airlock hatch they have just come through. After setting a half-dozen of the devices in key locations, they move through the outer airlock hatch and into the umbilical corridor tethering the _Paladin_ to the embattled raider ship that their crewmates have boarded.

SIDON: Sergeant, leave those thermo-charges with me and get your marines to the new ship.

KREKKI: (handing Sidon the satchel with the charges) May the Force be with you General.

SIDON: (smiling reassuringly) I'm right behind you.

Krekki signals to his marines to move out and the squad moves as a unit towards the open hatch at the other end of the umbilical. Meanwhile, Sidon places the remaining charges two-at-a-time and finishes the task in moments.

The Jeddai Knight turns and bolts down the corridor on the heels of the marines and they all pile through the hatch at the end of the umbilical just in time as the first of the charges detonate.

CUT TO EXT. of the umbical corridor linking the two ships. A rapid series of explosions cuts the metallic tube free from the _Paladin_ and causes the tube to spring back towards the raider cruiser that the _Paladin_ 's crew is using as a sanctuary, fouling the airlock hatch on their side and forcing any potential boarders to find a different hatch or cut through the hull.

CUT BACK TO Sidon and the marines as they pause for a moment to regain their breaths. We can see the captured _Paladin_ through one of the lozenge-shaped windows next to the air lock's outer hatch. The Republican battlecruiser has a series of blackened rents in the near side of her rear quarter.

KREKKI: (looking at his former ship) Funny, the damage doesn't seem so bad from here.

SIDON: (referring to the side that they cannot see) The worst of it is on the port side.

MARINE IN BACK: (quietly) True enough.

Sergeant Krekki looks as though he is going to continue the conversation, resting his marines for a few more precious moments but Sidon cuts him off.

SIDON: We should move on and find the Captain.

Krekki gives a tired nod as the Jeddai pushes himself fully erect and draws three of his four lightsabers with the hands of his remaining uninjured limbs.

KREKKI: (to the rest of his squad) You heard the General. It's time to move out.

The exhausted men tiredly grumble but, they quickly fall into line behind their leaders as they exist the airlock into one of the cruiser's steel-lined corridors.

Sidon pauses in the corridor for a moment, his head swinging to and fro like a dog or wolf trying to catch a scent. After a final swing the Jeddai locks his head in a direction and moves his body in it.

SIDON: (to the marines behind him) This way.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. WATERSIDE CLIFFS BEHIND THE NABOO ROYAL PALACE

The mid-morning sun shines on the greenery covered cliffside. Red and yellow tinged rocks crop out from covering of verdant vines, mosses, and shrubs. As we watch a hidden door opens onto a narrow ledge just a few dozen feet from where the palace's walls disappear into the ridge.

Queen Amidala, Lieutenant Jansen, and just over two dozen Royal Guards carefully shuffle onto the ledge and form a broad line below the palace.

JANSEN: We're lucky this ledge is so wide.

PADMÉ: There's no luck about it. The ledge was designed as a vantage point for a platoon to fire down on the harbor in the event the lower city ever fell.

JANSEN: I could see it if the platoon had heavy weapons on repulsor sleds.

ANGLE ON the ledge's lip as the officer peers at. We can see small metallic cleats, spaced at regular intervals across its breadth.

CUT BACK TO Jansen as he nods.

JANSEN: (to Padmé) I see the anchor points for the sleds your Majesty.

Padmé briefly smiles as she looks past him at the rest of the remaining platoon.

PADMÉ: (to the Royal Guards) Give me your eyes!

The assembled soldiers shift their attention from the careful placement of their feet on the ledge to their new monarch.

PADMÉ: (waving one hand at the tall wall high above them) The east wall of the palace is considered impregnable and so there are almost no defenses. We can get entrance through the gallery hall.

The young Queen pauses for a moment to take a sharp looking device from her belt and hold it up.

PADMÉ: We'll use grapples to make the climb. Once we make it to the gallery, we'll divide into two teams and rendezvous at the throne room. Our goal is to take the enemy's ground commander out of action. Once this is done the overall coordination of their ground forces should be disrupted.

(taking a moment to meet each soldier's eyes) Look out for one another. May the Force be with us.

Padmé securely fixes the grapple dart and its line reel to a blaster carbine she has picked up at some point during her journey in the sprawling network of tunnels.

JANSEN: (looking at her with pride) Ready your Majesty?

The young Queen simply nods her head and aims carbine overhead.

ZOOM OUT to see the other Royal Guards mimic her motion and then in no particular order but with the Queen leading, two dozen grapple darts explode upward, their lines unspooling behind them. One by one the darts find their marks in the wall just above a cleft in the palace's wall. The tiny shapes of Padmé, Jansen, and their soldiers begin the ascent.

Once on the gallery the shapes split into two groups, one led by the Queen and the other by Lieutenant Jansen, and enter the palace through either end of the open gallery hall.

CUT TO the throne room where we see General Tekmet and Major Bintz standing over a holoprojection of the battle unfolding between the city and the Mandalorian landing zone. Behind them the Mandalorian communications officer is holding one finger to his helmeted head as he listens to a transmission.

COMMS OFFICER: (to Tekmet) My Lord, Major Vepp is reporting that the natives have deployed some kind of shield technology that is making their positions impervious to their fire.

TEKMET: Is our air wing en route to the battle site yet?

The communications officer presses several buttons on the portable command and control station that they have set in the throne room.

COMMS OFFICER: (pressing one finger to the side of his helmet again) The last squadron is taking off now.

The air wing commander reports that they'll be in contact with the natives in ten seconds.

The three Mandalorians patiently wait as the time interval slowly ticks by.

COMMS OFFICER: (turning to face Tekmet) My Lord, the wing commander reports that their initial pass failed to penetrate the natives' shields.

(pausing to listen) She also reports that their shield generators are exposed on the backs of some very large burden beasts.

TEKMET: I see. Have the wing commander concentrate the air wing's fire on the generator closest to Major Vepp's position.

(to his adjutant as the Comms Officer relays his command) Bintz, contact the command ship and request a squadron of bombers to level the forest.

BINTZ: At once my Lord.

TEKMET: (gloating as Bintz repeats his orders) Once we've knocked out their shields they'll retreat into cover. And then we'll burn them to cinders.

COMMS OFFICER: My Lord, a report just came in that Naboo Royal Guards have entered the palace.

BINTZ: (helmeted head moving in alarm) My Lord, the command ship informs us that they can't deploy bomber squadron right now as they are focusing on a small party of intruders that have boarded them.

TEKMET: (tilting his helmeted head in displeasure) Very well.

(to the Comms Officer) Disperse our security platoon through the adjacent chambers and halls. Our intruders are headed here. We'll trap them and destroy them.

COMMS OFFICER: At once my Lord.

CUT TO Padmé and the squad of Royal Guards accompanying her. The Queen takes up a position at the corner of an intersection of halls and cautiously peers around its edge.

ANGLE ON the cross-hall as seen from Padmé's perspective. A quartet of raiders are warily walking down the corridor towards the Queen and her soldiers.

MANDALORIAN #1: Look! There's one!

MANDALORIAN #2: (raising his blaster) Get her!

ANGLE ON Padmé as she pulls her head back behind the wall's shelter as a fusillade of red laser bolts explode into it.

The Royal Guards spread out and return fire as best they can but two fall to the Mandalorians before a daring soldier races through the rain of fire and gains the opposite side of the intersection.

CUT TO the Mandalorian patrol who is now pinned by a cross-fire and in an exposed location. One of their number falls to a blaster bolt from Royal Guard's weapon. Realizing that they are vulnerable the three remaining raiders break for the cover of the next intersection.

ANGLE ON Padmé who uses the opportunity represented by the slackening blaster fire to dash across the intersection to the safety of the corridor on the other side. Behind her another Royal Guard fills the gap she has left as a second Naboo soldier joins her. The squad falls into a rhythm of suppressive fire.

ZOOM OUT AND ANGLE so that the Mandalorians taking cover in the next intersection, some thirty feet down are in-frame. We see a second one of them go down to the concentrated blaster fire from the Queen and her escorts but the remaining two raiders manage to pick off one of Royal Guards.

The two Mandalorians pick off another Royal Guard but the effort costs them as Padmé hits him with a blaster bolt just before he can pull his head and shoulder back behind the intersection's corner.

ZOOM IN on the last raider who is alone now. Under heavy fire from the Queen and her soldiers, the Mandalorian looks down at his fallen comrade from the safety of the wall he is hiding behind.

RAIDER: This is Tac-seven-one-seven, they've taken out the rest of my patrol and I'm under heavy fire at intersection…

He pauses to look at a nearby wall with symbols on them.

RAIDER: …intersection ta-one-two. Send reinforcements.

VOICE OVER HIS HELMET RADIO: Negative Tac-seven-one-seven. Fall back to the throne room and rendezvous with first squad.

RAIDER: (nodding his head to himself) On my way.

The Mandalorian grasps his blaster carbine to his chest and breaths in a deep breath through his helmet. Dozens of laser bolts are still chopping chunks from the corners of the intersection. A heavy pall of smoke wafts through the air and, the raider gives it a last weary look before retreating farther down the corridor and away from the Naboo.

CUT TO Padmé who has stopped firing in the direction the raiders have retreated in. Thick white smoke clings to the corridor's walls and fills its space. The palace's light sources make the dry fog-like substance glow from within.

SQUAD SERGEANT: (noticing that Padmé has stopped firing) Cease fire!

(to the Queen) What do you think your Majesty? Did we get them all?

Padmé cocks her head to one side as she considers the impenetrable white haze surrounding them.

PADMÉ: (answering his question) It doesn't matter Sergeant. We need to reach the throne room.

(looking the Sergeant in the eye) Form up the squad. We're moving out.

SERGEANT: At once your Majesty.

(to the remaining members of the squad) You heard the Queen. Form up. We're moving out.

The remaining squad take up their positions, forming a tortoise-shell-like ring around Padmé and the Sergeant, who expectantly looks at the young Queen.

PADMÉ: Let's move out.

The Royal Guards head farther down the corridor, continuing deeper into the palace's interior.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. FOREST EDGE OUTSIDE OF THEED

Boss Nash is seated on a stocky, four-legged mount. A smile etches itself across his broad, frog-like face as Gungun catapults hurl glowing blue globes of energy into the distant raider lines.

ANGLE ON one of the globes as it sails through the air and drops onto a Mandalorian tank. The spherical munition explodes, gouging a deep hole into the tank's turret. The strike is followed by by second, slightly larger explosion that leaves the tank's main gun silent and its turret billowing thick black smoke.

CUT BACK TO Nash who gives a throaty chuckle of pleasure at the vehicle's demise. General Tarsal's two-legged duck-billed mount emerges from the throng of waiting Gungun infantry and cavalry and stops next to the chieftan.

TARSAL: Weessa beetin dem.

NASH: (to Tarsal) Movin youssa cabbry inta dem woodssa. Weessa hittem dah flang widdah biggah boomah. Den youssa chargah dem fom da sidin.

The Gungun General lifts his pike in acknowledgement and quickly moves back into the ranks of his cavalry. Nash continues to watch as the raiders pour blaster and laser cannon fire into the shield domes protecting the Gungun army. Above them the Mandalorian raiders make another ineffective strafing run.

Nash looks up and watches their unopposed movement through the skies above and the smile fades from his face and is replaced by a worried look.

CUT TO the Mandalorians on the hilltop between the Gunguns and the city of Theed. Lying on his belly, their commander calmly watches from behind the cover of some twisted tank wreckage.

MANDALORIAN COMMANDER: (into his transmitter) Colonel Dett, I saw their lead shield flicker for a moment on that last pass. I want to coordinate the fire from our remaining tanks with your next pass.

DETT: (voice over the radio) Very good Major Honn. Which part of the lead shield should we focus on?

HONN: Concentrate your fire on a point fifteen before the center and about seven feet north of the center line.

DETT: Understood.

(to his pilots) All squadrons, line up and concentrate fire on my marker on our next pass. We're taking that lead shield generator out.

He is answered by a chorus of ayes, yeses, and other affirmations.

CUT TO Dett's fighter as he arcs high up and loops over towards the city's space port. He slows his fighter's speed down, lines up on the target and lights it up with a targeting laser.

DETT: Ready on my end.

CUT BACK to Honn, who taps a control on his wrist and the chatter of sub-officers issuing commands fills his helmet.

HONN: All units, prepare for a coordinated strike. Fix on air support's marker, then time on target with the air wing.

ANGLE ON the Gungun army as seen from Honn's perspective as he receives his own chorus of affirmations. The Gungun catapults send a dozen blue globes are sent hurtling through the air at him and his soldiers.

HONN: (to Dett) Ready down here.

CUT TO the energy spheres as they plunge towards the end of the Mandalorian line closest to the forest. A series of large explosions tears up the refused line and its improvised barricades.

Wasting no time, General Tarsal and his cavalry emerge from the woods and plunge into the raiders' broken ranks.

CUT TO Dett as he almost slowly pilots his craft low over the rolling green hills outside of Theed. We can see the other fighters in his air wing begin their strafing run on the Gungun shield. The iridescent dome flares under the sudden barrage of green laser bolts weathering away on one point of its surface.

CUT TO Boss Nash who furrows his horny toad-like brows as the shield dome begins to progress through a rainbow of pulsing translucent colors. Behind him the shield generator's steady hum becomes on rattling whine. Recognizing the danger, he wheels his mount and begins putting more distance between him and the device.

NASH: (thundering at those around him) Takem cobbah!

ZOOM OUT so that the last of the strafing fighters is in-frame. The alarmed beast of burden bearing the failing shield generator shakes off its handlers and begins to slowly turn. The massive device on its back shudders and then explodes, hurling debris high up into the air. The shrapnel takes out two of the raider fighters straggling at the rear of their wave. The iridescent shield melts away like a soap bubble bursting in slow motion and, the beast bearing it takes a last wobbly step before collapsing to the ground.

CUT TO Tarsel where he has just used his lance to eliminate another of the raiders on the hilltop. All around him, his cavaliers are making the most of the disruption their previous artillery barrage caused and the armored figures of Mandalorians are pierced, pinioned to the earth, or trampled beneath ostrich-like feet of the Gunguns' bipedal duck-billed mounts.

When the crashing noise of the shield generator reaches them raider and Gungun alike pause and turn their heads at the destruction of the Gunguns' leading position. Tarsel gapes in dismay for all of one second and then returns to being the consummate cavalry commander that he is.

TARSEL: Intah dah woodsah!

Almost as one, the Gunguns wheel their mounts and race back into the cover provided by the nearby woodland. They leave dozens of their dead comrades behind them. Behind them, the raiders are too busy reforming their shattered formation to do much more than harass the retreating Gunguns with the blaster carbines.

Major Honn has climbed atop a badly damaged tank and taken control of its anti-personnel blaster. As the Gunguns break and run back into the forest the Mandalorian commander pauses his fire to survey the situation.

ANGLE ON the Mandalorian lines as seen from Honn's perspective. Of the six tanks they had started with all but one have been disabled or destroyed. His infantry battalion has been similarly devastated; all that remains of it is a company or a company and half's worth of squads from broken platoons. The ground is littered with the armored bodies of hundreds of his comrades. Turning his attention to the Gungun lines he sees that their infantry companies are arraying themselves in a formation behind a line of shield-wielding Gunguns. Behind them, their fellows struggle to pack up the baggage of their now-vulnerable catapults and pull them back into the forest's protective depths. Beyond them another group of two-dozen handlers are coaxing the injured burden beast back to its feet.

HONN: (over his commlink to his last tank commander) Target their catapults.

TANK COMMANDER: (voice staticky over the commlink) At once my Lord.

ANGLE ON the Mandalorian tank as it swings its deadly turret towards the Gunguns' primitive-looking artillery.

PAN WITH the laser bolt that races from the barrel of its main gun and plunges into one of the catapults, turning it into an oily ball of fire and smoke. Nearly a half dozen more laser bolts seem to arrive from nowhere and all-but-annihilate the rest of the Gunguns' front echelon field artillery.

ANGLE ON Honn's perspective once again as he turns to see where these unforeseen laser bolts have come from. We see a fresh Mandalorian tank squadron and over a thousand infantry arriving from behind the next hill. The raiders' reinforcements from Theed have arrived.

The fresh troops quickly pour forward towards their embattled brethren and reinforce the tattered Mandalorian line on the hilltop.

ZOOM OUT so that we see Honn in-frame rather than from his perspective. One of the newly arrived tanks rumbles up to the scarred hulk he has been sheltering on. The hatch on top of it pops open and another Mandalorian, in pink-colored armored highlighted with reds and purples, rises out of it.

HONN: (saluting the newcomer) COLONEL SESLAN!

Seslan quickly returns the salute.

SESLAN: Major, your relief has arrived. Apprise me of the situation.

HONN: (pointing towards the two remaining energy domes) The enemy was able to achieve tactical surprise my Lord. However we were able to rally and pin them in place.

Their shields are formidable barriers but without air support they're vulnerable to a coordinate attack from the sky.

Seslan says nothing as the other four tanks in her command begin blasting holes in the line of shield-bearing Gunguns at the fore. The fresh companies of expert soldiers quickly begin to fire through these gaps, routing the remnants of the Gungun's lead formation into the forest behind them.

SESLAN: Major, contact the LZ and have them bring up the stockpile of incendiaries. Once we've driven these primitives back into the woods we'll burn them to cinders.

HONN: As you command my Lord.

SESLAN: (calling down into her tank's turret) Comms, get me the wing commander!

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. THEED ROYAL PALACE – NABOO

With her back hugging a wall, Queen Amidala carefully picks her way down one of palace's many corridors. The seven remaining soldiers of the Royal Guard squad accompanying her are dispersed around her. Ahead of them, the corridor ends in a bank of tall ornate stained glass windows that decorate the outer wall of an intersecting hallway. The lead soldier pauses at the corner of the intersection that links their corridor to the wide gallery-style hall.

PAN WITH the lead soldier, who we can see is a young man of around twenty with almond-shaped eyes and a dark tanned complexion. He cautiously peers around the corner and comes under fire from a group of raiders that have taken the hall's furniture for use as an improvised barricade. Quickly pulling his head back he turns to the others.

ROYAL GUARD #1: (in a low voice) There's a group at the end of the hall right next to the throne room entrance. They've arranged the furniture into a barricade.

SERGEANT: Good work Phạm.

(turning to Padmé) Your Majesty, let us handle this.

Padmé hefts her blaster carbine close to her chest as she considers the sergeant's request. Beyond the corner, the Mandalorian blasters have fallen silent as they wait for the next Royal Guard to stick their head around the corner.

PADMÉ: (at length) What are you planning Sergeant?

SERGEANT: We'll throw some shock grenades around the corner and then rush them as a group.

PADMÉ: Sounds reckless. Won't their armor make them almost impervious to the grenades?

SERGEANT: (sheepishly) Well, it will limit their effectiveness.

PADMÉ: (to Phạm) Private, where exactly were the raiders and their barricade?

PHẠM: They're in the corner, off to one side of the hall, just below the last window. They've left the passage to the throne room clear.

The young Queen considers this new information for several long moments as the soldiers around her wait in anticipation.

SERGEANT: Your Majesty?

PADMÉ: (looking at him) I have an idea.

The queen crosses to the corridor's far wall, places her back against it, and eases out towards the hall, stopping just short of being in view of the Mandalorians at the hall's end.

PADMÉ: Sergeant, on my mark you'll throw the grenades. At the same time I'll shoot the window above their position. Between the grenades and the falling glass they should be distracted enough for us overcome their position.

SERGEANT: As you command my Liege.

PADMÉ: (to the other soldiers) Get ready.

The squad deploys in a loose line with four of them lining up behind their Queen and the other two behind the Sergeant who is hugging the corridor wall nearest to the raiders.

PADMÉ: (to the soldiers around her) Ready?

The men silently nod in response.

Closing her eyes, Padmé takes in a deep breath, slowly lets it out, and opens her eyes. She brings up her blaster carbine, takes a half step sideways, and fires off several rapid shots before moving back behind the poor cover of the corridor's corner.

The Mandalorians respond with a flurry of blaster shots which seem to miraculously miss the young Queen and instead strike the wall and corner behind and all around her. Their firing quickly becomes sporadic as the glass from the window comes crashing down in a cacophony of bright sounds.

Trusting to the Force or blind luck, the Sergeant steps from behind the corner and hurls a trio of grenades which ricochet off of the wall next to Mandalorians and stop within the confines of their improvised barricade. The weapons go off in a series of resounding reports and bright flashes of light.

The Royal Guards waste no time, and begin rushing the corner before the last of the grenades has fallen silent. Keeping up a withering rate of fire from their blasters, the Naboo soldiers close in on their enemies and finish them off at close range. Only one of their number is injured by the Mandalorians' confused counter-fire but, it is the sergeant, who has been shot in the abdomen.

The Queen and her Royal Guards regroup as the smoke quickly dissipates through the large window-frame above the improvised fortification.

PADMÉ: Sergeant! You're hurt.

As Padmé tends to the wounded squad leader, the other Royal Guards take up defensive positions around them, quickly adding the dead Mandalorians' armored bodies to the makeshift fortification.

SERGEANT: (wincing with pain) It's just a flesh wound my Liege.

PADMÉ: (placing her arm around the man to help support his weight) You can barely stand.

SERGEANT: (grunting as he holds a hand to his abdomen) Your…your Majesty. There'll be more sentries.

You…you need to leave me behind.

Padmé uses her feet to sweep away some of the glass and other debris before seating the squad leader against the wall. She places her blaster on the ground next to them as she kneels down.

PADMÉ: (trying to pry his hand away from the wound) Let me see how bad it is.

SERGEANT: (stubbornly resisting) No!

The man half-drops his carbine onto the floor next to him and grasps the Queen's shoulder with his freed hand.

SERGEANT: (gritting his teeth against the pain) Your Majesty! There's no time! Take the rest of the squad…

(gasps for a breath) …rest of the squad, and get to the throne room.

(pleading with his eyes) End this.

Padmé stops trying to administer aid to the Sergeant's wounds, locks eyes with the injured man, and picks her blaster carbine up from where she has lain it. For an instant it looks like she might say something but instead she snaps her jaw shut, gives the man a stiff nod, and squeezes her face to keep tears out of her eyes.

SERGEANT: (releasing the Queen's shoulder) Good.

(as Padmé rises to her feet and steps away) Phạm… Phạm!

The young soldier squats down next to the fallen Sergeant.

SERGEANT: Don't let her fall.

PHẠM: Yes sir!

ANGLE ON Padmé as the remaining six soldiers in the squad form up around her. With a last look at the injured squad leader who has scooped up his blaster even as his face has become chalky and covered in sweat, the young Queen leads the Royal Guards around to the next corner.

Padmé warily peers around the corner and is surprised to see that the hall just outside the throne room is devoid of guards. Her eyes narrow in suspicion.

PHẠM: (whispering from behind her) What is it?

PADMÉ: (quietly) A trap.

The Queen turns her head back to the Royal Guards assembled behind her.

PADMÉ: There are no sentries in the hall outside. We have to assume that they've fortified themselves just inside the throne room.

The Queen locks eyes with one of the two remaining corporals.

PADMÉ: Sodhi, take al-Isfahani and Mendelsohn and circle around the other way. Phạm and Abbas are with me. We'll stagger our approach and hope that the enemy didn't put more than one squad of reinforcements in reserve.

SODHI: Begging your pardon my Liege but, shouldn't we just wait for Lieutenant Jansen and the other squad?

PADMÉ: We don't know where they are or if they're even still in the fight. We have to assume that there are no reinforcements.

SODHI: (with a nod) Understood your Majesty.

With another nod Sodhi takes the other two privates and heads down the corridor to their right.

PADMÉ: (looking at her pair of remaining soldiers) Ready?

Phạm and Abbas both nod.

PADMÉ: (taking a deep breath) Let's go.

Flanked by the two Royal Guards, the young Queen boldly steps out into the hall containing the throne room door. With her blaster held at the ready before her she strides right up to the closed throne room door. The three of them hug the wall on either side of the door and with a last look at Phạm and Abbas to confirm their readiness, Padmé triggers the door open.

When no blaster fire erupts from the open entryway, the Queen cautiously peers around its edge.

ANGLE ON the throne room as seen from Padmé's perspective. There are exactly three armored Mandalorians here. One seated at a portable console, a second hovering over the first's shoulder, and a third studying a map of the city's outskirts, projected onto the Naboo ruling council's meeting table by a squat silver and black astormech droid standing by the table's far end.

TEKMET: Do come in my dear. We've been expecting you.

In the distance somewhere behind them the air is suddenly filled with the sounds of shouting and blaster fire. Silence falls almost as quickly as it was dispelled.

TEKMET: There you see, your paltry force has been reduced to all-but-nothing. Surrender and no harm will fall to you and your men.

ABBAS: (looking at the corridor behind them) They've outflanked us my Liege.

PADMÉ: (to Tekmet) I have your word that my men won't be harmed?

TEKMET: Of course.

PADMÉ: (raising her hands in surrender) Very well.

Beside her, Phạm and Abbas raise their hands too. A group of four Mandalorians come up from behind them, take their weapons, and roughly shove them into the throne room.

TEKMET: (chiding his soldiers) Now, now, there's no reason not to be civilized at this point. (pointing at Padmé) We've captured the Queen of Naboo.

(pointing at the map) And soon her native friends will be broken and captured.

RAIDER #1: Yes my Lord.

As Padmé and her two Royal Guards look on, Tekmet gleefully laughs at their predicament.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – AUXILARY CONTROL ROOM – MANDALORIAN CRUISER _MALEFICENT_

Sidon Ithano stands by Captain Rejack's elbow as a marine corporal reports the situation to them. The Jeddai Knight's injured arm is still bound to his chest but, fresh bandages are apparent as they stand out from his beige and cream-colored overtunics.

CORPORAL: Sirs, squad commanders report that we've assumed control over three quarters of the ship and master weapons control just fell to us.

REJACK: Very good Mr. Devoonian but, what of the bridge?

DEVOONIAN: They've sealed it off with triple depth blast doors. Nothing we do seems to work.

REJACK: (nodding) I see son. You may return to your squad.

DEVOONIAN: Yes sir!

The tired-looking Captain turns to the Jeddai Knight.

REJACK: We can NOW keep them from firing at our allies and, we can blindly move the ship but, unless we take the bridge this is all going to be for nothing.

SIDON: I'll go see what I can do.

REJACK: Great. I'll talk to engineering about getting us access to the external sensors. If it turns out you can't open that vault then we're going to need a way to know what's going on outside.

Sidon crosses over to the hatch leading out of the auxiliary control room and looks back.

SIDON: If you can spare them, use some of the marines and crew to secure likely boarding locations.

The weary captain acknowledges the Jeddai's words with a nod.

PAN AND FOLLOW WITH Sidon as he moves into the corridor outside of the cruiser's auxiliary control room. As moves through the captured vessel's corridors the signs of past fighting are everywhere in the form of scorch marks, broken glass windows, and the twisted ruins of broken blast doors. Various shipboard functionaries look up from their tasks—carrying report documents, treating the wounds of their fellow shipmates, guarding the hatches to important areas, and an assortment of other duties—as the Jeddai Knight passes them.

After numerous corridors and several lift rides, Sidon exists an elevator to hear the sounds of a pitched battle somewhere nearby. Unclipping three of his lightsabers from his belt, the Jeddai Knight proceeds more cautiously down the corridor. As he rounds the corner he can see that a squad of Repbulican marines has taken cover from a pincer attack moving down the side corridor to either side of them.

The General marches down the corridor's length and catches the eye of the sergeant in charge of the squad that had been assaulting the bridge. The squad leader lifts his fist and almost instantly the Republican marines stop firing their blasters.

Sidon ignites his three lightsabers and steps forward into the void of the corridor intersection. The Mandalorians begin firing almost immediately but the Jeddai Knight effortlessly parries their laser bolts, deflecting the deadly flashes of light towards their allies. In less than thirty seconds the raiders' guns fall silent.

Sidon deactivates two of his lightsabers and advances up to the blast door. The marines sheltering against it move into the corridor to cover the General as he works. The marines behind them likewise spread into the side corridors.

Gripping his one still active lightsaber in two hands, Sidon squats low, rams it into the blast door and slowly begins cutting through the triple-thick steel plates in a circular path.

CUT TO the cruiser's bridge where a handful of Mandalorians watch the tip of Sidon's lightsaber as it traces an arc through the blast door.

MANDALORIAN DECK OFFICER: Their cutting through the door my Lord.

MANDALORIAN CAPTAIN: I see that. Trip the emergency seal.

DECK OFFICER: At once my Lord.

The deck officer thumbs a switch on a console and we hear a rumbling noise from the bulkhead.

CUT TO Sidon who is forced to lean back as a thick steel bulkhead rolls snaps shut across the blast door's surface trapping his lightsaber in place. The Jeddai narrows his eyes and considers the new barricade for a moment before removing his lightsaber from where it has become trapped and plunging it deep into the center of the barricade.

He concentrates the Force into the weapon's white blade making it shine like a star. Around it the metal of the bulkhead and the blast door behind it turn red, then white, and finally begin to flake away as rivulets of molten metal begin to drip down from the angry-looking wound in the barricade.

CUT TO the Mandalorians helplessly watching from the bridge as the Jeddai Knight destroys their last barricade. A huge circular patch of the blast door has turned white-hot and is bubbling into the bridge's entryway. The Mandalorian Captain lifts his blaster, a small pistol-type affair and aims it at the weakening metal.

CAPTAIN: Get ready. Here they come.

The white-hot bubble of metal suddenly gives way with the horrendous high-pitched sound of metal sheering apart. Sidon is the first through the still steaming hot hole. He deflects several blaster shots before using the Force to hurl the still partially molten hunk of metal at a knot of the resisting bridge crew. The Mandalorians are crushed beneath the red-hot metal discus along with several of the cruiser's control consoles.

The Captain begins advancing on the Jeddai even as Republican marines pour through the hole behind him and eliminate the remaining Mandalorian bridge crew. The Captain fires a well-aimed shot at Sidon with every step and only the Jeddai's nigh-perfect reflexes manage to keep the deadly laser bolts from his face. Finally, the Captain takes one last shot at point blank range before Sidon sweeps low and spins upwards, striking the Mandalorian's head from his shoulders.

Around Sidon, the Republican marines make short work of the remaining raiders.

Sidon takes a moment to close his eyes and relax his muscles and then, opening them, he clips his lightsaber to its place among its brethren on his belt.

MARINE #1: (jogging over to Sidon) General, there's something I think you're going to want to see.

PAN WITH the marine's finger as he points at the large windows that look out into the void from the bridge's deck. Outside we can see several of the Mandalorian cruisers pulling alongside the newly captured vessel, blotting the view of the stars out with their burly masses.

SIDON: (unable to keep the frown from his face) Run and get Captain Rejack. We're in trouble.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – CORRIDOR LEADING TO THE BRIDGE OF THE _BLACK RAPTURE_

Jeddai Master Mace Windu and his remaining Jeddai are slowly making their way through the defenders in front of the bridge's hatchway. Of the seven that Mace started with, only four are still at his side.

As they near the intersection that hosts the hatchway leading to the bridge, Andace brabs ahold of the Mace's left arm just below the elbow.

ANDACE: (as they all continue to parry errant blaster bolts) Master Windu! I sense another trap.

MACE: (deflecting a blaster bolt and hitting its shooter) We were able to fight through the last one. We'll make it through this one too.

(to the rest of the commando) I'm going for the blast doors. See what you can do about these squads in the side corridors.

Denwan and Jutta boldly move out into the side corridors on either side of Mace and Andace, while the last member of their commando keeps the handful of Mandalorians behind them at bay. Mace rushs across the corridor to the blast door, deflecting another blaster bolt back down the Padawan's side corridor as he goes.

Now standing in front of the mammoth rectangle steel plate he plunges his lightsaber into it and cuts a diagonal slash through it in surprisingly rapid time. He repeats the process from the opposite side of the door's face and then quickly carves and ovalish rectangle, separating the slashed pieces into jagged triangles. As the chunks of triple thick metal start to fall towards him, Mace extends his hand and uses the Force to hurl them deep into the room beyond the threshold.

ANGLE ON Mace as he recklessly charges through the broad hole he's carved in through the blast door. The metal hunks each bury themselves into the bridge's floor and bulkheads, squashing several Mandalorians in the process. Andace, Denwan, and Jutta file into the room behind the Jeddai Master as he heads towards the Mandalorian deck officer who appears to be in charge.

Suddenly the thunderous sound of dozens of blaster resounds behind them and their rear guard folds up in the door's cavity with scarcely a sound. Mandalorians all-but boil out of the seams in the deck plates as they invade the bridge from a series of secret compartments. First Jutta and then Denwan fall, shot to death as they attack these new assailants.

In response Andace and Mace seem to go on the rampage and cut huge swathes through the newly arrived Mandalorian reinforcements until a paltry handful are all that remain. From across the bridge, the commander that Mace had zeroed in on carefully aims and shoots Andace in the abdomen. The Rodian drops his lightsaber, grips his stomach, and drops to the ground immobilized.

Mace takes out two of the five remaining Mandalorians with well-placed deflections as he begins to close in on the commander. The commander again carefully aims but this time his shot is deflected into one of the remaining bridge consoles. Mace deflects a second shot and then a third.

By now the Jeddai Master has advanced to point-blank range. The commander takes a step back to recover his aim but Mace hacks through his forearm, eliciting a scream of pain from the man.

He is about to finish the commander when a slimmer figure appears from a final hidden compartment and presses a blaster to the back of his head faster than he can whirl his body around.

JOJO: Don't try it Jeddai. Even you aren't fast enough to dodge a blaster at this range.

Mace deactivates his lightsaber and lets it fall to the floor, giving the true Mandalorian commander an angry look the whole time.

JOJO: Looks like your arrogance has been your undoing this time, _Master Windu_.

Mace's angry look changes to one of astonishment as the woman chortles a hearty laugh through her helmet.

ROLL CREDITS…


End file.
